A Muslim school director has had his livelihood ruined by a guilty verdict handed down in a Perth court, his lawyer says.
Anwar Sayed was remanded in custody on Thursday after a jury in the District Court found him guilty on two counts of fraud, having deliberated for nearly four hours.
The 50-year-old had been accused of falsifying student numbers at the Muslim Ladies College of Australia in Kenwick, in Perth’s south to obtain a portion of government grants worth $1.125 million.
The school received about $164,000 from the state government and about $961,000 from the federal government.
Sayed, from Canningvale in Perth’s south, is the director of Muslim Link Australia, which runs the school.
The court heard that he signed a declaration that in the 2006/07 census year, more than 180 students were enrolled in the school when there were 80 to 100 fewer than that.
On Thursday, Sayed’s friends and family in the court appeared visibly upset at the conviction while he remained calm as the verdict was delivered.
His lawyer, Andrew Skerritt, argued he was not a flight risk, but Judge Shauna Deane said imprisonment was “very much on the cards” for Sayed because the offence was a “serious” matter and she could not grant him bail.
He is due to be sentenced on November 30.
Outside court, Sayed’s solicitor Swaran Ludher said he was surprised by the verdict because the defence was strong.
“The way the prosecution, the police, went about their investigations, clearly there are many areas they forgot to tackle,” he said.
“They never contacted the so-called phantom students, so how can you say that a roll is falsified and has got phantom names on it unless you contact the so-called phantom students?”
Mr Ludher said his client’s livelihood had been destroyed by the conviction.
“It’s ruined his college, it’s ruined his school. He will not be able to open another school now, so what is he left with?” he said.
Sayed’s trial came to prominence when one of the witnesses asked the court if she could wear a niqab, or full burqa, while giving evidence.
Judge Shauna Deane ruled that the woman had to remove her niqab but said she could give evidence via video link and ordered men leave the court room while the woman gave her evidence.